We report a case of hemangiopericytoma of the soft palate of 60-year-old patient, who noticed a mass of the soft palate and experienced difficulty in speaking. We found a pediculate, hard, elastic mass measuring 38 mm (cross-sectional diameter). Computed tomography (CT) scans and dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed irregularly shaped mass and revealed a heterogeneous internal composition, consistent with vascular tumors. We excised the tumor under general anesthesia. Histopathological diagnosis was based on positive immunoreactivity of CD99 and vimentin and weak, positive staining of CD34. Three and half years following tumor excision, there is no recurrence or metastasis.
12E7 Antigen ; Antigens, CD ; analysis ; Antigens, CD34 ; analysis ; Articulation Disorders ; etiology ; Cell Adhesion Molecules ; analysis ; Deglutition Disorders ; etiology ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemangiopericytoma ; complications ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Palatal Neoplasms ; complications ; Palate, Soft ; pathology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Vimentin ; analysis

Surgical management of gastric cancer improves survival. However, for some time, surgeons have had diverse opin-ions about the extent of gastrectomy. Researchers have conducted many clinical studies, making slow but steady progress in determining the optimal surgical approach. The extent of lymph node dissection has been one of the major issues in surgery for gastric cancer. Many trials demonstrated that D2 dissection resulted in greater morbidity and mortality than D1 dissection. However, long-term outcomes demonstrated that D2 dissection resulted in longer survival than D1 dissection. In 2004, the Japan Clinical Oncology Group reported a pivotal trial which was performed to determine whether para-aortic lymph node dissection combined with D2 dissection was superior to D2 dissec-tion alone and found no beneift of the additional surgery. Gastrectomy with pancreatectomy, splenectomy, and bursectomy was initially recommended as part of the D2 dissection. Now, pancreas-preserving total gastrectomy with D2 dissection is standard, and ongoing trials are addressing the role of splenectomy. Furthermore, the feasibility and safety of laparoscopic gastrectomy are well established. Survival and quality of life are increasingly recognized as the most important endpoints. In this review, we present perspectives on surgical techniques and important trials of these techniques in gastric cancer patients.